The Diligent Diabetic Son

One of the most peaceful things for a mother to see is her child resting. However, the photos presented here are of my son, finally resting in the hospital after a life-changing day. A day in which diabetes reared its ugly head. As a parent, one thing we fear the most is getting a call informing us that something has happened to our child. I can tell you that it doesn't get easier when they go off to college. In fact, I think it gets even worse because you are not physically there to watch part of your heart walk around campus getting into who knows what.

As a Soldier, I have endured long separations away from my son, all the while fearful of receiving the dreaded call. That day came for us when I was stationed at Fort Cavazos, TX, and my son called me to say that he was not feeling well and that something wasn't right. My first impression after he told me his symptoms of constant urination/voiding was to call his dad and have him speak with him. But, when he told me he had gone to the restroom 22 times in 12 hours, I knew it had to be something serious. I called our managed care provider and got approval to send him to an Urgent Care facility. The doctor took one look at my 5-foot-3, 113-pound son and initially thought his symptoms to be signs of a urinary tract infection (UTI). Consequently, I was told by the doctor, ‘we think it's a simple infection, but we will check.’ Me being a mom, and an avid user of “doctor google,” I pressed the doctor to check his blood sugar too. Not even 20 minutes after the blood sugar test, my son was sent by ambulance to the hospital. His A1C was so high that it surpassed the limits measurable by the urgent care equipment. This means that his current level could not be accurately measured at their facility. I was subsequently notified that he was rushed to the nearest emergency room. As soldiers, we are taught not to panic in life-threatening situations and to think on our feet. I can tell you that my drive from Fort Cavazos to San Marcos, TX (Texas State University) was nothing less than panicked. My feet were pushing the pedal to the metal.

Once tested in the emergency room, you guessed it, my son was officially diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. As you can also guess, this was not news I wanted to hear. Afterwards, my son kept telling me it would be ok and that he had already started doing his research on the condition. As a parent, it was painful because this was something I could not make go away, put a Band-Aid on, kiss the boo-boo, or simply be a listening ear to make things better. I could not fix this, but I was determined to do whatever I could do to protect him.

To date, no matter the process, dosage, or devices provided, they have not been able to get my son’s A1C level to remain consistently in a safe band. He went from shots and pricking his finger, to a blood sugar monitor, and then finally they put him on an insulin pump. As mom, I was like, why didn't you put him on this from the start. I’m no doctor and after waiting for months for a referral to see a specialist, I was just thankful for the movement. We had so many scares since the initial diagnosis, but the recent ones have been life-threatening. My son currently has a blood sugar monitor that sends alerts to my phone when his blood sugar reaches dangerous levels. On a recent day, my phone alerts went crazy at 3:00 am in the morning. I was in DC for work, while my son still lives in Texas. I called my son 20 times to check on him and received no answer. Next, I called the police in Texas and requested they conduct a welfare check, as my son lives alone. The police had to knock his door down and call in paramedics. His blood sugar was so low that he slipped into a diabetic coma. Fortunately, the local first responders were able to stabilize him and rush him to safety. Afterwards, he was given a key box that is accessible by first responders so that help can get to him when needed without having to break the door down.

This incident was the final straw for me. I had to do something and seek other options. During our research, we learned about diabetic dogs. They can detect a change in blood sugar 10 times faster than any blood sugar monitoring device. These dogs can wake you up long before you slide into a diabetic coma, and stabilizing actions can be taken. I don't want to lose my son simply because he needs to sleep, like we all do. That is why I need your help as we try to raise funds to purchase a diabetic service dog for him (total cost of dog is $25,000.00) (https://www.riversedgeda.com/?doing_wp_cron=1750190612.2350358963012695312500).